[Brookie]

My best guesses are: (1) Sanderling, (2) Least, and (3) Western. Thanks in advance for the insights. If y'all disagree, I'd very much appreciate it if you'd point out the subtleties I might be missing.

[onlybill]

My guess would be sanderling for the first one( black legs, longish bill rounded on tip). The second is a least, has a thinner bill, that droops slightly at the end, and yellow legs. The third is another sanderling. Those are my best guesses. regards~onlybill

[mb1848]

In the first picture is the answer. Count the toes on the foot in motion. They = 4. Sanderlings only have three toes. I think 1 & 3 are Western Sandpipers. Least for the piggy in the middle.

[Jan-Paul Charteris]

Originally Posted by mb1848

In the first picture is the answer. Count the toes on the foot in motion. They = 4. Sanderlings only have three toes. I think 1 & 3 are Western Sandpipers. Least for the piggy in the middle.

Agreed, bill and plumage are wrong for Sanderling in 1 and 3, and bill seems very long and decurved and certainly suggests Western rather than Semi-P. 2 as has been said is Least.

Jan

[onlybill]

I stand corrected. At least I got one out of three. I did not know that about the toes on a sanderling. regards~onlybill

[JANJ]

Also note in the first image - the webbing between the toes, which is only seen in Western and Semipalmated. This however, is a juvenile Western sandpiper, on long bill (some eastern Semipalmated similar - or even with longer bill than some male western)and overall pattern and strenght of rufous in the upper scapulars, although some juv. SPS are close in this respect. Paler head pattern .

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/viewP...49418734705506

JanJ

[Jeff hopkins]

Western - least - western for me, too.

[Brookie]

Many thanks for the thoughtful replies. One indicator that said Sanderling on No. 1 for me was that it was noticeably larger than the leasts that it was traveling with. I had the impression that Westerns were closer in size to leasts than that. Not true?

[cavan wood]

According to Sibley:
sanderling = 8"
western/semi = 6.5"
least is least = 6"

Scott

[Brookie]

Thanks. Y'all have me pretty much convinced that I'm wrong on number 1. I take the points made about the length and thickness of the bill and the plumage. It certainly looks like a fresh juvenile to me, is a close match for the juvenile plumage on a western in Sibley's, and does not resemble the juvenile sanderling.

I'm still puzzled by the size, though. As the attached picture shows, it was significantly bigger than the leasts standing around it - seemingly more than the half inch reported in sibleys. Everything else certainly seems consistent with a Western, and I suppose maybe it could be just the effect of a relatively large western standing next to a relatively small least. Fair to say those differences fall within the range of variation for westerns and leasts?

[Chris Benesh]

Originally Posted by Brookie

I'm still puzzled by the size, though. As the attached picture shows, it was significantly bigger than the leasts standing around it - seemingly more than the half inch reported in sibleys. Everything else certainly seems consistent with a Western, and I suppose maybe it could be just the effect of a relatively large western standing next to a relatively small least. Fair to say those differences fall within the range of variation for westerns and leasts?

Hi Brookie,

Western Sandpipers will generally look appreciably larger than Least Sandpipers in direct comparison. It can be difficult to translate a linear 0.5 inch difference into real differences in size, since length is just a small component of size. Westerns average considerably bulkier overall than Leasts. This will become apparent to you as you gain more experience. That said, there is a lot than can affect the overall size of an individual. Sandpipers can dramatically increase their mass with fat stores made shortly before taking long distance flights.

Great photos BTW!

Chris

[Brookie]

Originally Posted by Chris Benesh

Western Sandpipers will generally look appreciably larger than Least Sandpipers in direct comparison. It can be difficult to translate a linear 0.5 inch difference into real differences in size, since length is just a small component of size. Westerns average considerably bulkier overall than Leasts. This will become apparent to you as you gain more experience. That said, there is a lot than can affect the overall size of an individual. Sandpipers can dramatically increase their mass with fat stores made shortly before taking long distance flights.

Perfect explanation. Thanks!